Harry Potter, eat your heart out. Blogging’s where the magic’s at. The alchemy of words and readers, stories and reactions, pictures and beholders. A magical world awaits when you take the leap of faith on (WordPress) platform 9 ¾ and embark on your first year at Blogwarts. It may not be an actual giant castle surrounded by an enchanted lake, but the blogging community is a fantastical place to be, where pictures speak to you, doors open onto unimagined experiences and there is magic in the virtual air. Do your friends read your blog? Does your partner? Does any non-blogger? Muggles – we love ’em dearly, but they just don’t understand us. I know – I used to be one. The Muggles could quite happily remain unaware that Blogwarts even exists. But ain’t they adorable? Everyone has their own Professor Dumbledore – that revered pinnacle of wisdom and magic, who understands the private struggles of the Blogwarts students, for s/he was one once, but has the big picture and the highest power at the tip of his or her wand. Someone to respect, to admire and to emulate as much as one is able. Are you a Harry, a Hermione or a Ron? Some bloggers are so clued-up, it’s breathtaking. For the Hermiones, the acquisition of knowledge is a pleasure not a technological nightmare – the rest of us can only admire their brilliant endeavours. And try to copy their every move. Then you have the Rons who bumble and wisecrack their way through their Blogwarts adventures, offering some light relief from the main action. I count myself among these affable jokers. And of course, then there are the Harrys. Heroic, brave, funny in parts, effortlessly brilliant at everything but totally self-deprecating. Just pure magic. Some bloggers are incredibly brave and magical, but are completely unassuming. Like Neville Longbottom, they surprise us and themselves with their own abilities and can be relied on to save the day when Harry’s off showboating. He Who Shall Not Be Named Who is your Voldemort? Trolls are the obvious answer, and to them I say: EXPELLIARMUS! But I’d also add self-doubt – the bloggers’ main enemy. But you must believe in your own magic – or take a few nights off watching Celebrity Masterchef till the spark comes back. Are You A Gryffindor or a Slytherin? The Sorting Hat of Blogwarts is a marvellous thing. Unlike at its namesake, Hogwarts, you are not immediately placed into a house. After a few months, you find blogs you enjoy and value and your blog finds a place in a mini-community. But the beauty of Blogwarts is that nothing is set in stone – you can flit between the house common rooms with a click of your wand.  Chasing The Golden Snitch Why do we blog? What is our Golden Snitch? It is something that appears out of nowhere in the midst of the blogging game and just as suddenly disappears. Others beat us to it, or knock us off our brooms as we seek it. It changes every day. For your first post, it might be one pageview, other than your own, checking it’s really there, live on the web. Then it flickers and transmogrifies: the Snitch could become receiving a nice comment, being featured on one of the networks, going viral on Facebook, being retweeted by a minor celebrity, hitting 700 Twitter followers, winning an award, being shared by a blogger you admire. For me, and just call me Mother Theresa here, the Golden Snitch has gone through all these (aspirational) phases and more, but at the end of my first year, I conclude that it is just this: finishing a piece and being pleased with it. The Quidditch match can be just as fun and exciting when the Snitch is nowhere to be seen, whether you’re playing or watching from the stands. Every blogger needs a Hagrid, someone who gives them virtual tea when they’re down, fills in the back story when they’re confused and gives them a share when no one else has read their post. Without Hagrid, the story would lose its big heart. What’s your experience of Blogwarts? What’s it like in the upper years? Are you a Harry or a Hagrid? What’s your Golden Snitch? Could You Give Up Blogging For Lent?  Picture sources: Universal Studios, Wikipedia